of the university's first PhD program (in environmental science), the opening of the John W. McCormack Institute of Public Affairs and the Urban Scholars program for talented Boston Public Schools (BPS) students in 1983, as well as the opening of the William Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture in 1984.
=== 1988–2007: Penney, Gora, and Collins Chancellorships ===
In 1988, historian Sherry A. Penney succeeded Robert A. Corrigan as chancellor. Her tenure was initially marred by an economic downturn in Massachusetts, to which Governor Michael Dukakis responded by ordering all state agencies to cut their budgets in the 1989, 1990, and 1991 fiscal years. In response to the budget cuts, Chancellor Penney began initiating major fundraising efforts, and despite the decline in state support, implemented multiple research programs, PhD programs, and oversaw a reorganization of the school's colleges. In 1989, Chancellor Penney oversaw the opening of both the Urban Harbors Institute and The Mauricio …
